Each year, teams face difficult decisions on talented players with troubled pasts. Janoris Jenkins of North Alabama is this year’s Exhibit A.

Scouts don’t question whether Jenkins has first-round talent. They question whether he is worth a first-round gamble, even though he and Morris Claiborne of LSU might be the two most skilled cornerbacks in the draft.

“Janoris Jenkins is a very intriguing prospect for that reason,” ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper says. “Talent? Top 10 to 15. If he had no red flags.”

However, the red flags are waving. Instead of being a top pick like Claiborne, who is expected to be drafted in the top five, Jenkins is expected to slide into the second round.

Jenkins admitted to smoking marijuana while at Florida, where he was arrested three times (two marijuana possessions, one bar fight) before being dismissed from the team and transferring.

At February’s NFL Combine, Jenkins was forthright about his mistakes and said he had learned from them.

“I was honest, straightforward, told ’em I did it,’’ Jenkins says. “I admitted to everything. I take full responsibility. To be successful at the next level, I can’t do the things I used to do.”

Believe him or not? Check back three years from now, when his team will either be accepting praise, or taking criticism, for drafting a player with character concerns.